When it comes to discovering new audiences for an association’s certification or professional development, there is a great option that many overlook: current and former U.S. military members and their spouses. Did you know there are more than 2 million active duty and select-reserve members of the U.S. military?* And nearly 99% of military occupations have at least one related civilian credential?**
Partnering with the military might not be the first strategy that comes to mind for professional associations, but it’s an opportunity with too much potential to ignore. By offering your credentials and training to current, transitioning, and former military personnel, you’re not just tapping into a whole new world of potential members and revenue streams. You’re also giving back to the brave men and women who’ve served our country. It’s a win-win that many associations overlook, but one that could take your organization to new heights while making a real difference in veterans’ lives. Let’s dive into why this unexpected alliance could be your next big move.
Military Skillsets Translate to Successful Civilian Careers
So, why consider servicemembers for your associations’ certification? Well first and foremost, U.S. military personnel learn invaluable skills while in uniform that set up a fantastic foundation for success once out of uniform. Skills like communication, discipline, project management, leadership, collaboration, and more can all translate incredibly well to a civilian career.
Beyond even the foundational skills, you could be amazed to see how much of your association’s industry-specific knowledge or certification body of knowledge can overlap with military departments. Here at HC, we’ve worked with leading associations to dig in and map military branches’ body of work to a specific credential body of knowledge and the overlap was staggering. (Ahem, 99% of military occupations have at least one related civilian credential.) This truly is an audience with a wide-ranging skillset that can be easily applied to a myriad of industry applications.
Okay, so you’ve made the decision to explore reaching military audiences, what comes next?
Abundance of Funding Programs Available
The good news is that there are several funding programs available to support the entire military population, whether that be active-duty personnel, military spouses, or veterans. A great place to start would be with the Department of Defense Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (DOD COOL). DOD COOL is a federally funded program that has branch-specific offshoots for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and DOD Civilian employees.
Each of these COOL programs allow associations to apply to become a registered vendor, which if approved would place the association’s certification preparation and/or certification exam materials in the education catalog from which servicemembers can request funding.
At HC, we’ve assisted several of our association partners in becoming approved vendors within the DOD COOL program umbrella and have seen steady success reaching new certification candidates and driving certification preparation sales.
Another great avenue to explore is the My Career Advancement Account Scholarship Program (My CAA) for military spouses. This is another federally funded program that spouses of active and retired military personnel can utilize to get funding for certification, professional development, and degree-seeking program options.
Beyond those programs, the Department of Veterans Affairs connects veterans to education and training with GI Bill funding. This option in particular is a great way for associations to support those transitioning back to the civilian workforce.
And while each of these programs does require some initial legwork for associations to apply and some maintenance while running, they provide an incredible opportunity to reach new audiences and markets, while supporting those who have served their country.
New Audiences Mean New Revenue Streams
The bottom line? Reaching military markets provides a true win-win for associations: a great way to increase revenue while giving back to the individuals who have made the sacrifice to serve their country.
Between opening up new pipelines for memberships and introducing servicemembers to certification preparation and training programs that can truly change the trajectory of their post-military career, there are many benefits to prioritizing these audiences in your association’s strategic plans.
The Bottom Line
There are inherent similarities and similar challenges between the military and the civilian workforce. And associations are perfectly poised to bridge the gap that currently exists between the two with certification preparation and training.
If you’re interested in exploring a connection to military personnel for your organization, HC can help. Learn more about what we do, and how we can connect your education to the thousands of servicemembers who could benefit from it by visiting HolmesCorp.com.
Source:
*2022 Demographics Profile of the Military Community, Department of Defense
**Department of Defense Credentialing Opportunities On-Line
